The Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia has just announced that a major two-part exhibition of the artist Anish Kapoor will open on April 20, 2022, coinciding with the upcoming International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. At the gallery and within the historic Palazzo Manfrin, Kapoor’s work will be on view until October 9, 2022, in a presentation encompassing a retrospective overview of his practice, along with a selection of significant new and recent works.
Portrait of Anish Kapoor by George Darrell.
“It is a huge honor to be invited to engage with the collections at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice; perhaps one of the finest collections of classical painting anywhere in the world,” said Kapoor. “All art must engage with what went before. The Accademia presents a wonderful and wondrous challenge.”
The 18th-century Palazzo Manfrin—renowned for its heritage and famed art collection while under the care of Count Girolamo Manfrin—was recently chosen by Kapoor as the home base for his artistic foundation and restored at the hands of Giulia Foscari. In tandem with the Gallerie dell’Accademia—also of note for its collection including masterpieces like La Tempesta—the exhibition’s two parts present significant historic context for the London-based artist, who is now considered one of the most influential names in contemporary art.
Anish Kapoor, “Void Pavilion V,” 2018, Wood, concrete and pigment, 6 x 6 x 12 meters; photo by Nobutada Omote, © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved SIAE, 2021.
Curated by Taco Dibbits, the presentation will see a wide selection of Kapoor’s work imagined using mediums and materials like wood, concrete, wax, oil paint, sandstone, and stainless steel. Creating a unique dialogue within the context of the historic structures, this will include an environment containing the architectural conveyor belt construction, Symphony for a Beloved Sun from 2013, the 1989 Healing of St. Thomas, and some of Kapoor’s most recent paintings like Diana Blackened Reddened.
“All artists, however cutting-edge and contemporary, are in debate with those who have gone before,” said Dibbits. “The Gallerie dell’Accademia is the perfect site for a modern master to explore the themes that have always engaged sculptors and painters.”
Anish Kapoor, “Shooting Into the Corner,” 2008-2009, mixed media, dimensions variable; photo by Dave Morgan, © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved SIAE, 2021.
Anish Kapoor, “The Dark,” 2021, Oil on canvas, 213 x 274 cm; photo by Dave Morgan, © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved SIAE, 2021.
Anish Kapoor, “Symphony for a Beloved Sun,” 2013, stainless steel, wax, conveyor belts, dimensions variable; photo by Dave Morgan, © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved SIAE, 2021.
